Jim at Bat

While “A Crystal-Clear Love Affair” focuses on a man who is a celebrity, “Jim at Bat” focuses on a boy who is —

• Lazy

• Ordinary

• Selfish

• Proud

Read these quotations.

JIM AT BAT: "The boy cannot hit the baseball to his satisfaction. Though he makes contact almost every time he swings the bat, he does not strike the mighty blow he sees in his mind."

A Crystal-Clear Love Affair: "That was the day the future actor, comedian, and director attended his first game at Yankee Stadium, and Mickey Mantle wound up making quite an impression on the eight-year-old boy and the copper facade hanging from the right-field roof."

Which of these best describes the difference in tone between the two quotations?

• The tone of the first quotation is impassioned, while the tone of the second quotation is indifferent.

• The tone of the first quotation is discouraged, while the tone of the second quotation is celebratory

• The tone of the first quotation is admiring, while the tone of the second quotation is playful.

• The tone of the first quotation is informative, while the tone of the second quotation is impartial.

Both selections explore the theme of baseball —

• being an important means of family bonding in American culture

• no longer being the innocent American pastime it once was

• providing children with famous role models to idolize

• helping many children escape a bleak home life

Which element is the same for both selections?

• The genre

• The subject matter

• The tone

• The writing style

What is one similarity between the boy in “Jim at Bat” and Billy Crystal in “A Crystal-Clear Love Affair”? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from both selections.

• Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

• Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.